Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran.

Eh.  That's my review.  Eh.

I saw this book on display at the circulation desk of WHPL when picking up a hold.  The cover looked interesting, as the dust jacket sounded.  Figured, why not?

Sita is the oldest daughter of a widower in India, prior to British rule, in the mid 1800s.  Treated like a son, allowed an education and physical activity, she has already hit puberty, thus an arranged marriage is likely out of the question.  Her mother dies in childbirth with her younger sister.  Sita's grandmother attempts to sell her into a brothel, but her father rejects the plan and vows she will earn a spot in the queen's all-female guard.

Sita trains with a neighbor and becomes skilled in archery, firearms, knives, swords, and combat.  She swears her allegiance to the queen and passes the trial with flying colors.

Sita is an outcast, as she is from the villages, not the city of Jhansi, like most of the other members of the guard.  Nonetheless, she becomes one of the queen's favorites and guides her mistress through the birth and death of a child, the king's infidelities (with other men), and lastly, wartime.

Here are some of the issues I had in reading:
The novel is written with Indian names and spellings (rightfully so).  I had a hard time keeping straight who was who with the true names, so I gave everyone pseudonyms.
Sita's grandmother pissed me the heck off.  Get off your high horse lady and protect your granddaughters.
Why did the king need to be a closet gay?  Was it really necessary?  Would that not have, in reality, shamed the queen?  Would it not have made Jhansi look weak?  How would homosexuality be OK, but an unmarried daughter not be OK?  It really felt like "here's a current topic, let me throw it in".  The real king (and this is a fictionalized account of a true story) might really have been gay, and frankly, I don't care.  It just didn't feel needed in this particular version of the story.
Shakespeare?  Sita was well-versed in Shakespeare?  The author states this is fact in her notes.  Again, maybe so, but it felt wholly unrealistic. 

So, eh.  Just eh.

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